Boys 'lack stamina to read long books'

Many young boys find it too challenging to tackle books of more than 200 pages long, new research suggests.

A study carried out by publisher Pearson revealed that 22 per cent of male pupils lost interest after the first 50 pages.

Only 29 per cent of boys are still interested after 100 pages, the research revealed.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Professor Colin Terrell, an educational psychologist and lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, said: "Part of the problem is that in general boys don't like to sit down and read more than 20 pages at a time. Girls tend to have a more advanced grasp of language at this stage."

He suggested that teachers who find it hard to encourage boys to read should find other ways, such as giving them the sport section of a newspaper.

Education secretary Michael Gove said earlier this year that schoolchildren should be expected to read 50 books a year.